


Four Faces

by Rochelle_Templer



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (1963)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-03
Updated: 2017-08-24
Packaged: 2018-12-10 13:06:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11692257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rochelle_Templer/pseuds/Rochelle_Templer
Summary: The Doctor presents many faces to the universe and the people within it. These are four of them....





	1. The Romantic Wanderer

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter takes place during the story-line "The Enemy of the World".

Even though this wasn’t the first time she saw him, Astrid Ferrier found that she could not stop herself from staring.

The Doctor was sitting in a chair studying some files that Kent had been keeping on Salamander’s activities. On their own, the files were hardly definitive in establishing Salamander’s guilt, but Kent had hoped that they would further convince the Doctor of the validity of his accusations. In the meantime, Kent was in another room, trying to get a hold of other contacts who might help them in their plan to infiltrate Salamander’s research center.

While the Doctor read, Astrid gathered up some things so she could work on styling his hair. She had given him an outfit that was typical of the ones Salamander favored for him to wear. Seeing him in it now, she couldn’t help but note how much it enhanced his uncanny resemblance to a man she had spent years hating.

 “This is all very interesting,” the Doctor murmured as he flipped through the last few pages of the file. “But it doesn’t really prove anything, does it? So far the only evidence I’ve seen that holds any weight at all was the information that girl Fariah had for us.”

Astrid placed a press photograph of Salamander onto the counter next to her and sighed. She knew first-hand how zealous Kent was in his mission to eliminate Salamander and had resigned herself to it even if it meant that she didn’t always agree with his methods. But the Doctor would not be so easily swayed.

“I would like to think that we’ve shown you enough to convince that we’re not making up stories,” she said. “And that we’re not just a bunch of fanatics.”

“Oh no, I don’t think that,” the Doctor said, looking up from the file. “No, I think you have very credible reasons for wanting to discredit Salamander and remove him from power. I just wonder if they are other sides to this that aren’t being considered. Yes, I think there is something we are missing. Something simple, but that could have great significance. If only I could figure out what it is.”

The Doctor tossed the file onto a nearby table and let out a sigh as he slumped down in his chair. Despite the gravity of the mission they were planning, Astrid couldn’t help but smile at the sight of this strange, little man looking almost comically glum.

It was then that reality of how different Salamander and the Doctor were from each other truly resonated with her. As far as physical appearance went, they were practically mirror images of each other, but that seemed to be where their similarities ended. The more time she spent around him, the more she came to see the Doctor as everything Salamander wasn’t: kind, gentle, thoughtful, and devoted, especially to the people close to him. True, they both had a sort of cleverness about them, but with Salamander, that cleverness seemed to be limited to cunning and a scientific expertise that suited his plans.

Astrid could not put her finger on it, but something in the Doctor’s demeanor indicated a far greater intelligence coupled with wisdom that could only come with a vast amount of experience. It was as if there was something…ancient within the twinkle of the Doctor’s eyes, a knowing wink that hinted that she was on the right track in thinking him older and even more mysterious than he appeared on the surface.

‘ _But that’s absurd,’_ she told herself. ‘ _Whoever this Doctor is, he’s still a man. A man who just happens to look a lot like a horrible tyrant bent on taking over the world. But here I am making him into…well into an almost otherworldly figure. And all because he chooses to keep his private life and his background to himself.’_

_‘Still, it almost seems a little…wrong somehow that someone like him should have to have to share the same face as someone who is so evil and twisted. But then again, I wonder if the opposite is true for those friends of his. I wonder if they think it’s strange and terrible that Salamander looks a lot like someone who is so dear to them.’_

Astrid walked over and draped a striped dish towel around the Doctor’s neck and was dismayed at the glint of anxiety and sadness in his eyes.

“You’re worried about them, aren’t you?” she said softly. “About that boy and girl?”

“Yes, yes I am,” he said quietly. His expression abruptly became sterner. “And I’m still very much against Kent using them to force me to cooperate with his schemes. It’s blackmail and it’s no different than the tactics he accuses Salamander of employing.”

“But it is different,” Astrid insisted. “Salamander blackmails people so he can use them to further his own ends. We are not doing this for personal gain.”

“Maybe,” the Doctor retorted. “However I don’t believe that the ends always justify the means.”

The Doctor gave a slight harrumph and frowned. Astrid shook her head and crouched down in front of him so she could tuck the edges of the towel into the collar of his shirt.

“I don’t know if this will mean anything to you,” she said. “But I don’t agree with Kent’s tactics here either. Those two are risking their lives for our cause. We should be doing what we can to rescue them, just as we would any other member of our team.”

Astrid finished with the towel and started to move her hands away when the Doctor caught one of them in his hands.

“Actually Miss Ferrier it does mean a great deal to me,” he said. “A great deal indeed.”

He looked her in the eye as he said this and smiled warmly. The corners of Astrid’s mouth curled up slightly.

“Listen Doctor,” she said. “We might not be able to rely on Kent or any of his people, but I promise to do what I can to help you get your friends back safely. It’s the least I can do to pay you back for what you’re doing for us.”

The Doctor continued to hold Astrid’s hand, and Astrid was surprised to find that she didn’t mind this at all.

“Miss Ferrier….”

“Oh go on, call me Astrid,” she laughed. “Everyone else does.”

“All right, Astrid,” the Doctor nodded as he finally let go of her hand. “Thank you; for your assistance before and in the future.”

The Doctor smiled at her again as she stood and picked up a comb and a small mirror.

“Here,” she said, handing the mirror to him. “Your hair will need some styling in order to complete the disguise. I might have to cut it a little. Feel free to let me know what you think of my efforts. I wouldn’t want to….”

“It’s all right,” the Doctor interrupted. “I suppose I could do with a little fixing. At least it will give Jamie one less thing to carry on about.”

Astrid laughed again and the Doctor joined in. She moved to stand behind him and combed his hair.

“Doctor,” she said thoughtfully. “I know that you’re determined to keep your own identity and life a secret. But I would like to ask you one thing: those two, Jamie and Victoria, what are they to you?”

“Jamie and Victoria are my friends,” the Doctor answered firmly. “And my responsibility.”

“I can see that,” Astrid replied. “But that’s not exactly what I’m asking you.”

“Oh?” the Doctor said, raising an eyebrow. “And what are you asking me, Mis—Astrid?” Astrid combed another section of his hair, smoothing it down with her palm as she worked.

“Well, take Jamie for example,” she said. “When I met him, I got the impression that he didn’t truly understand what was going on around him. No knowledge of things like helicopters, rockets or Salamander’s Sun Store technology. It’s…it’s as if he’s not of this world at all. No, no more like he’s from another time.”

Astrid paused and studied his hair for a moment before going back to untangling an unruly section in the back.

“And yet, despite all that, it’s impossible to deny that he is a brave, resourceful young man,” she continued. “I think Kent believes that he had managed to persuade Jamie that our cause is just, and that that’s why he offered to help us.”

“But you have a different theory?” the Doctor asked.

“I do,” Astrid nodded. “Jamie didn’t do for us, but for you. Because you asked him to. It’s obvious to anyone who takes the time to notice that he would go to the ends of the earth and beyond for you. Even with all of his power, Salamander could never inspire that kind of loyalty. I’m afraid Kent probably never will either. So I suppose I’m wondering how it was that you were able to gain such a steadfast ally.”

“That is a question I’ve asked myself many a time,” the Doctor said quietly.

Astrid blinked in surprise. She hadn’t expected an answer like that or the serious tone with which he had given it. Sensing that any additional probing in this area might make the Doctor close up completely, she decided to try a different tack.

“And what about this girl, Victoria?” she asked. “I can see that she is quite fond of you and is more than willing to go along with your plans. However, it’s also clear that she is out of her element entirely. I worry that she might not be able to handle this sort of lifestyle.”

“As do I,” the Doctor sighed.

Astrid finished combing his hair in the back and studied the photograph some more before reaching for a pair of scissors. She trimmed a section toward the middle to make the hairline more even.

“I suppose what I am asking you is why you have these two in your charge,” she said. “You don’t exactly seem like the type who leads a quiet, stationary life.”

“Are you sure that is what you’re asking?” the Doctor said, a mischievous spark in his voice.  “Because I suspect you have another question in mind.”

Astrid smiled again and went back to standing in front of him.

“All right, I give,” she said. “I’m wondering what kind of man would choose to take in and look after two young people, who are not bound to him by blood or law, the way you have. I don’t understand it.”

The Doctor reached up and took Astrid’s hand into his again, causing her to crouch down in front of him.

“Is it really so hard for you to understand?” he said, sadness flickering in his eyes. Astrid closed her fingers around his and curled her other hand around them.

“Perhaps it would have made sense before,” she said. “Before….”

“Before what happened to your father,” he said gently.

Astrid turned her face away, but did not let go of the Doctor’s hand. Soon, she felt him caress both her hands and rub the backs of them with his thumbs.

“My father…that was Salamander’s doing,” she said bitterly. “I’m sure Kent told you all about it.”

“He did,” the Doctor replied. “What he didn’t tell me was how much you miss him. But I think that is pretty plain to see.”

“It’s funny,” Astrid said. “Growing up, I wasn’t able to spend much time with him. He had important work. I knew that, even if I didn’t always like it. But…I always knew that he cared deeply for me. I guess that’s why, even when I couldn’t see him, it didn’t seem as if he was ever really far away. That’s the type of man he was. He could make you believe in the goodness of people.  But now…now I don’t know if I can believe in things like that anymore.”

Astrid shook her head and stood up, pulling her hands away. She turned her back toward the Doctor and dabbed at the corners of her eyes.

“Sometimes, I wonder what my father would think of what I’m doing,” she said. “And of me.”

Astrid blinked her eyes hard as she tried to contain her emotions. She was so caught up in her efforts, she didn’t notice that the Doctor had gotten up and moved to stand behind her until she felt his hand on her arm.

“I’m sure he would be very proud of you,” he murmured into her ear. Astrid sniffed and let out a huff.

“Proud?” she echoed. “Proud that his daughter chose to embark on a career in a treasonable underworld? Proud that all the training he arranged for me is being spent tracking down his murderer?”

“Proud that you chose to carry on his legacy of standing up for what is right,” the Doctor said. “I might have been important to your plans, but you didn’t have to risk your life the way you did to save both myself and my two friends. I’ve observed your methods throughout this whole affair, and I’ve noticed that you are careful to avoid bloodshed whenever possible. Kent might be your boss, but it’s clear that you do not share his or his people’s thirst for revenge at all costs.”

Astrid turned around to see the Doctor staring at her intently. He placed another hand onto her other arm.

“I think your father would be very happy to know that you have chosen to devote your life to fighting evil,” he said. “An evil he himself tried to defeat from the sound of things. And I think it’s vital that you continue to resist the temptation to become more like Salamander in order to stop him. Remember that, Astrid, even if Kent tries to persuade you to act otherwise. Remember that life is always more important than revenge.”

Astrid smiled and placed her hands on the Doctor’s forearms.

“I will,” she said. “But now, I think you should sit back down so I can finish with your hair. If you’re going to go into that research center, your disguise will have to be perfect. ”

“Oh yes,” the Doctor sighed as he plopped back down into the chair. “I’ll never understand why you humans are so obsessed with such trivial surface details.”

Astrid raised her eyebrow at the Doctor’s odd comment, but put her curiosity aside as she went back to work. She handed the Doctor the mirror again and picked up the scissors.

“You know, it’s funny,” she said. “When I first saw you, I could hardly believe that you weren’t Salamander. But the more time I spend around you; the harder it is for me to see how I could ever mistake you for him.”

“Thank you,” the Doctor said as he fidgeted with the mirror. “Although that’s hardly a vote of confidence toward my ability to pull this off.”

“Well, if this plan goes the way it should, you won’t be around any of Salamander’s staff long enough for them to figure it out,” Astrid assured him.

“I certainly hope you are right about that,” the Doctor sighed.

Astrid moved in front of him again and carefully trimmed a bit off the Doctor’s eyebrows before combing his bangs down across his forehead.

“Almost done I think,” she said. “Just a few more touches.”

“Good,” the Doctor huffed. “Because I really don’t see what was so wrong with my hair before.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that it was terrible,” Astrid said with a smile.”It just wasn’t Salamander. And frankly, I’d consider that a good thing.”

“I hope this transformation won’t change your opinion of me,” the Doctor said, the twinkle returning to his eyes.

“I doubt that,” Astrid replied. “For what it’s worth, Doctor, I still think you are the most wonderful and marvelous man that has ever dropped out of the skies.”

The Doctor’s face broke into a wide grin with a slight blush appearing on his cheeks. Astrid beamed back at him while trying to hold back an unexpected giggle at his sincere, but endearingly amusing response to her words.

“Doctor,” she added. “I don’t suppose there’s any chance, after this is all over, that you could be persuaded to be a little less mysterious. You know, it’s not every day that a woman gets to meet a man who helps save the world.”

“Quite,” the Doctor said with a cough as he fidgeted even more. “But, um we don’t know yet if this is going to work. Better to not get too far ahead of ourselves.”

Astrid looked down at his face and was surprised again to see that the impish glint in his eyes had faded into something wistful. It was then that it occurred to her for the very first time that, once this was over, the Doctor could disappear just as suddenly as he had appeared. In fact, the more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

“I’m sorry, you’re right,” she said. “We should concentrate on the matter at hand.”

“Astrid….”

“Oh, it’s all right, I know,” she sighed. “Or at least, I think I can guess. Just like Jamie and Victoria, you don’t belong here in this world either. I can’t say that I completely understand it, but I do get why you probably can’t be here once this is finished.”

Astrid combed down the Doctor’s bangs even more and was about to trim them when the Doctor reached up and touched her forearm.

“However this turns out,” he said. “I would like you to know that I would have very much enjoyed the chance to repay you for everything you have done for me and my friends, including that very timely rescue.”

“I see,” Astrid smirked at him. “That’s what this is about, is it? A fortuitous helicopter ride? Are you like this with every woman who whisks you away into the air?”

“Oh I wouldn’t say that,” the Doctor grinned bashfully, a tinge of scarlet returning. “Although I can safely say that it was an unforgettable helicopter ride…and that the pilot was even more memorable.”

The Doctor gazed into her eyes and Astrid couldn’t help thinking that he was catching glimpses of her soul and committing them to memory. Despite her regret that she would probably never know more than she already did about the Doctor, she was confident that he would indeed remember her. It was far less than she would have liked, but the idea that he would always hold onto this remembrance was an unexpected comfort to her heart.

 “Well, how’s it going?”

Astrid looked over to see Kent walking into the room, his eyes firmly fixed on the Doctor. She immediately went back to styling his hair.

“Almost finished,” she said, her tone curt and formal. “I highly doubt anyone will be able to tell the difference between him and Salamander.”

“You better be right,” Kent said. “There’s too much at stake now. Nothing can go wrong.”


	2. The Compassionate Friend

Looking back on it now, the Doctor thought that perhaps he should have listened to Victoria from the very start.

* * *

 

_Early in the day yesterday, the TARDIS had materialized on a planet that a group of colonists from Earth identified as Zetinia Syln. As they visited with the colonists, they discovered that the planet had been discovered five years previous and that this colony had been established less than a year later. The Doctor and Jamie quickly felt at home among the friendly and adventurous people that had made Zetinia Syln their home and were looking forward to joining in on an expedition to an ancient castle that was presumed to have been built by a race of inhabitants who had died out centuries ago._

_However, Victoria was against staying from the moment they arrived and repeatedly begged the Doctor to leave as soon as possible. At one point, the Doctor pulled her aside and asked why she felt this way despite all the goodwill that they had been shown._

_“I don’t know else to put it, Doctor,” she said. “But I can’t help but feel a sense of foreboding. As if something terrible will happen if we stay here too long. It’s something in the atmosphere of this place, in the way that the trees and the flowers seem to be staring at us, watching our every move. Oh please, Doctor, something’s not right here. I just know it. Can’t we leave?”_

_The Doctor had been disappointed that Victoria disliked Zetinia Syln so much, but he managed to work out a compromise with her: she would wait in the TARDIS and then they would all leave together after he and Jamie had had a chance to spend the afternoon with the expedition. Victoria had been more than a little reluctant to wait by herself, but had agreed to the Doctor’s terms. Soon, she and Jamie were on their way back to the TARDIS._

_Unfortunately, it was at that point that everything Victoria had warned him about came to fruition._

_Clumps of what they had all thought were simple vegetation turned out to be scouts from the planet Valulox who were looking to set up a colony of their own on Zetinia Syln. Their ship had crash-landed onto the planet a couple of days ago, and they eventually made their way to the Earth colony. These scouts were not only cunning and aggressive; they also saw no reason why their kind should have to share this planet with “low-thinking animal matter.”_

_The Doctor tried to reason with the Valuloxans, but to no avail. After that, it didn’t take long for the Earth colonists and the Valuloxans to start shooting at each other. The colonists were able to fight back against the invaders, but the Valuloxans had the advantage of greater numbers and it wasn’t long before they had the upper hand. It also soon became apparent that they recognized the Doctor and wanted to capture him at all costs. Eventually, he and the surviving colonists took refuge in a hut on the outer edge of the colony that served as a makeshift laboratory for the scientists who occasionally visited to conduct short stints of research._

_As the colonists tried to hold out against the Valuloxans, the Doctor managed to cobble together a device that could short-circuit their weapons from the materials he found there. But before he could use it, the Valuloxans announced that they had taken two of the “Earth animals” hostage and would execute them if the Doctor did not surrender himself immediately. Much to the Doctor’s dismay, those two hostages turned out to be Jamie and Victoria, who had been captured while traveling back to the TARDIS._

_At that point, the Doctor was aware he would have to be very careful. He was deeply concerned for his companions, but he did not want to allow the Valuloxans to wipe out the rest of the Earth colonists either. For now, he would have to let the Valuloxans think that they were in control of the situation until an opportunity to rescue his friends could be found._

_“All right,” he told the Valuloxans. “I’ll surrender if you’ll let my friends go.” Jamie, of course, had been against this idea._

_“No Doctor!” he shouted. “You can nae trust them.” The young Scot looked as if he might try to escape, but the Doctor stopped him with a stern look._

_“Quiet Jamie,” the Doctor ordered firmly. “I know what I’m doing.” Then he turned his focus back toward the Valuloxans. “Let them go, and you can have me.”_

_“And if we refuse?” the head Valuloxan scout asked._

_“Then I will make sure that you will not have a chance to colonize this or any other planet,” he answered coolly._

_The Valuloxans talked among themselves for only a moment before giving their answer._

_“All right,” the leader said. “We will let the primitives go. But take care, Doctor. If you try to trick us….”_

_“Yes, yes, I know,” the Doctor nodded. “Don’t worry. I have no intentions of violating the terms of our agreement. Now, release them and I will come to you.”_

_The Valuloxans pushed their hostages away from them, and Jamie and Victoria slowly walked over toward the hut where the Doctor and the surviving colonists had taken refuge. Once they were halfway there, the Doctor stepped outside. Soon, the Doctor met with Jamie and Victoria, and he leaned over to whisper into Jamie’s ear._

_“Jamie,” he said. “Be sure to take care of Victoria.”_

_Before Jamie could respond, the Doctor shoved them closer to the hut and ran toward the Valuloxans. The head scout immediately raised his weapon and fired. With a cry of pain, the Doctor collapsed to the ground and then laid still._

_“Fool!” the scout laughed. “Did he really think that it would be as easy as that? He deserved to die for being so stupid.”_

_Following the Doctor’s instructions, the colonists guided Victoria into the hut and tried to pull Jamie to safety too. At first, Jamie didn’t move and just stared at the Doctor’s lifeless body. Then he snarled and looked as if he would rush over and try to take on all of the Valuloxans single-handedly, but the colonists managed to drag him inside before he could act. Once they were inside, two of the Valuloxans were posted outside the doors with orders to watch over the prisoners. Then they set up a force-field around the hut to ensure that none of the people inside would be able to escape._

_“Oh and dispose of that,” the leader said, pointing at the Doctor’s body._

_One of the scouts complied by picking the Doctor up and carrying him a few yards away from the colony before dumping him into a shallow pit. Confident that their only obstacle had been eliminated, the Valuloxans began to make plans to use their prisoners as bait for the crew of the supply ship that was due to show up in two days. They planned to assassinate the crew and their prisoners so they could steal the craft and return to their home world._

_However, what they didn’t know was that the Doctor was still alive._

_It took almost a full day for him to recover, but eventually, the Doctor was able shake off the effects of the Valuloxans’ ray gun._

_‘Just as I thought, a cardiac inhibitor,’ the Doctor had thought to himself as he shook his head in an effort to clear it. ‘Very effective at killing any life-forms with only one heart…not quite so effective at killing a person with two of them. Fortunately, the Valuloxans don’t know that.’_

_The Doctor waited until nightfall and crept back toward the colony. The Valuloxans were nearly dormant at night and could not see very well in the dark, thus it was easy for him to sneak around without being noticed. He retrieved his device from where he had hidden it and disabled the Valuloxans’ weapons. Then he took the precaution of gathering up some more weapons for the colonists to use before using his sonic screwdriver to disassemble the device maintaining the force-field around the hut._

_After that, it was only a matter of minutes before the colonists were armed, the Valuloxans were captured, and the Doctor was reunited with his companions._

_Victoria had rushed over and cheerfully hugged him while telling him over and over again how happy she was to see him. However, Jamie surprised the Doctor by reacting in a far more subdued manner._

_“Glad ye’re all right,” the piper said blandly as he lightly patted the Doctor’s shoulder. “Prolly would nae have made it out in one piece without ye.”_

_Jamie said very little else after that while the Doctor made sure that the colonists had the situation under control. Eventually, the three of them went back to the TARDIS and dematerialized back into the Time Vortex._

* * *

 

The Doctor peered at the instruments in front of him, his brow furrowing. It had been a couple of hours since they had left Zetinia Syln and he wondered what he should do next. He could tell that this last trip had distressed Victoria. Plus, he couldn’t forget how she had pleaded with him to leave from the beginning. Although the Doctor did not regret being available when those colonists needed his help, he did feel that he should try to find some way to make it up to her.

‘ _Oh crumbs,’_ he grumbled to himself. ‘ _There’s no way to know for sure if the next place we land will be entirely peaceful. And if it isn’t, that won’t do at all.’_

The Doctor frowned and paced around the console. Eventually he stopped and pulled out his recorder. He continued to watch the center column rise and fall as he placed the instrument to his lips and played a bouncy, meandering tune.

‘ _I suppose we could just stay in the Vortex for a while,’_ he mused. ‘ _The TARDIS has plenty to keep those two occupied for a couple days or so. This will also give me a chance to look in on some systems I’ve been meaning to check. Then perhaps some reading….’_

The Doctor stopped playing and smiled to himself. He suddenly remembered a stack of rare books currently sitting in his study that had been a gift from a grateful duchess after one of his more recent adventures.  Seeing this as a perfect opportunity to finally enjoy them, the Doctor grinned even more and put his recorder back into his pocket. He skittered around the console one more time, glancing at all the meters as he went. Satisfied with what he saw, he was just about to dash toward the study when Victoria walked into the room and nearly bumped into him.

“Oh Doctor, I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to disturb you.” The Doctor sighed inwardly, but kept a smile on his face.

“It’s all right, Victoria,” he said warmly. “I was just going to do some reading.”

“Reading? While we are in flight?” Victoria asked. “Are you sure that is wise, Doctor?”

“Oh yes, it’s perfectly safe,” he explained. “The TARDIS can travel unattended within the Vortex for quite a long time if need be. So I thought we might take a couple of days to recuperate, as it were.”

“That sounds like a very good idea,” Victoria nodded. “We could all use a rest.”

“Exactly,” the Doctor said. “Now, unless there was something else you needed….”

“Actually Doctor, there is something,” Victoria said, hesitant. “That is, there is something I urgently need to discuss with you.”

She looked down at her hands and pulled at her skirt, seemingly unsure of how to proceed. The Doctor frowned and walked over to her. He put his hand on her arm and guided her down the corridor toward the study. Victoria waited until they were both sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace to speak again.

“It’s about Jamie, Doctor,” she said. “I’m terribly worried about him.”

“Jamie?” the Doctor echoed. “What do you mean?”

Victoria sighed and smoothed down her skirt while the Doctor’s mind raced. He recalled asking Jamie if he was all right and taking the time to briefly check for any physical damage as soon as the Valuloxans had been captured and detained. He hadn’t seen anything wrong at the time, but now he was anxious that he might have missed something.

“Victoria, please go on,” he said, placing one of his hands onto hers. “If Jamie is ill or hurt in some way, I need to….”

“No, no, it’s not like that,” she said with a wave of her hand. “It’s not his health that concerns me.”

“Then what is it?” the Doctor asked, his sense of dread growing by the second. Victoria took a deep breath and looked up at his face.

“Doctor, when those awful plant monsters shot you, I…I mean Jamie and I…we…,” she stammered.

“Victoria….?”

 “You weren’t moving or showing any signs of life,” she continued. “Jamie and I…we watched them carry you away, and we thought…we thought you were dead. Oh Doctor it was horrible. I was so scared.”

“Yes, I understand,” he said, putting an arm around her shoulders and drawing her closer to him. “And I sincerely apologize for putting you through that experience.”

“It’s all right,” Victoria nodded. “I’m just thankful that we are all safe now. But Doctor, I believe that Jamie suffered too, perhaps more than I did, even though he has not said anything about it. After those…things took you away, Jamie kept staring out the window at the place where you had fallen. He just kept staring for hours and hours until it was too dark to see. More than one of us tried to get him to talk or move, but he wouldn’t respond to anyone. And then, the next morning, he simply sat facing a wall. I tried to get him to eat or drink something, but he would not accept it. At one point, some of the colonists tried to make plans to escape, but Jamie refused to help them or even listen.”

Lines of worry appeared on the Doctor’s face as he listened to this while guilt gnawed at his insides. He had suspected that Jamie had been more affected by their ordeal than he had let on, but he had not imagined that it had been this bad.

“The worst part of it all though was the look in his eyes,” Victoria added. “His eyes were so…empty. No life or hope in them at all. It was like that time when those Dalek creatures were holding us prisoner, right after you walked through that archway and we all thought you had become one of them. But this time was worse, so much worse.”

Victoria paused and ran a hand over her face as she worked to compose herself. She closed her eyes briefly and she took another breath before continuing.

“It was such a relief when you saved us, Doctor,” she said. “And I was sure that Jamie would be better too. At first he was, but ever since we’ve come back to the TARDIS, he’s been so quiet and distant. He sits in his room and won’t come out. I have tried speaking to him, but he just insists that he is fine and asks to be alone. I suppose there is nothing so strange about that, given what happened. But it’s the manner in which he does it. It is clear that he is out of sorts and not himself. Oh Doctor, I don’t know what to do.”

The Doctor patted her shoulder and did his best to smile at her despite the worry that filled him.

“It’s all right, Victoria,” he said. “Jamie probably just needs some time to recover from this experience in his own way.”

“But Doctor….”

“Don’t worry,” he insisted. “Now, you go and relax and I will speak with him.”

“Yes,” she said. “Yes, I think that will be best. And thank you, Doctor, for listening to my concerns.”

“No, thank you, Victoria for bringing this to my attention,” the Doctor said solemnly.

Victoria nodded and the Doctor escorted her back into the corridors. He watched her walk toward the plant room for a moment before taking off for Jamie’s room.

As he crept up to the door, he could hear faint tones of music. The Doctor stood by the door and silently listened for a couple of minutes. It was a low, melancholic tune which the Doctor feared was not a good indication of the piper’s current state of mind.

He knocked on the door and waited. The music stopped, but there was no other indication that Jamie had heard him. After a minute of waiting with no response, the Doctor tried again.

“Jamie?” he called out.

“What?”

“May I come in?”

“…I guess so.”

The Doctor opened the door and found Jamie sitting on his bed, his chanter sitting in his lap. The young Scot sat the instrument onto a bedside stand and looked downward to stare at the floor.

“What did ye want?” he muttered.

“Oh nothing much,” the Doctor said as he walked over to sit on a chair across from him. “I just thought I would see how you were doing is all.”

“I’m fine,” Jamie said.

“Really?” the Doctor replied. “Are you sure about that, Jamie? Those dark circles under your eyes tell a different story.”

“So what if I’m a wee bit tired?” Jamie said. “Can ye blame me? Ye’re always tearing off toward some trouble or another and I never get a moment’s peace.”

“Well then, I apologize for that, Jamie,” the Doctor said, frowning. “I should have realized that you’d be exhausted what with the pace we have been keeping of late.”

“Och, it’s fine,” Jamie said with a shake of his head. “Dinna worry aboot it. Jes let me be so I can get some sleep.”

“Oh, I will of course,” the Doctor nodded. “But first I would like to talk to you.”

“What aboot?”

“Well, about what happened on Zetinia Syln for a start,” the Doctor answered.

“What aboot it?”

The Doctor fought the urge to let out a huff of frustration. He could already tell that Jamie was not going to make this easy on him and steeled himself for what was sure to be a tense situation.

“Victoria and I had a discussion earlier,” he continued. “She was very distressed by what happened.”

“Victoria?” Jamie said, looking up with concern in his eyes. “Is she all right?” The Doctor reached over and patted his arm.

“Yes, she’s all right now,” he smiled. “She just needs some time to relax. Though, the truth is, Jamie, she is rather worried about you.”

“Aboot me? I dinna ken why,” Jamie shrugged. “Those plant beasties pushed us around a bit, but that’s all.”

“She thought that you might have been upset over what happened to me,” the Doctor pressed on. “Or should I say, what you thought happened to me.”

“Oh aye that,” Jamie said as he turned his gaze back to the floor. “I was a bit upset, but that’s over now, isn’t it? It was jes another one of yer ruses. I should have known better. But I was tae daft to figure it out.”

“Jamie….”

“Look, I’m sorry that I dinna take care of Victoria like I should have,” Jamie said, cutting him off. “I was supposed to look after her and I dinna do so well. Maybe ye should nae be relying so much on me.”

“Nonsense,” the Doctor snorted. “I have never regretted relying on you. Not once. So stop trying to insist that you are anything other than highly dependable and capable.”

Jamie scowled at him and lowered his head before running his hands hard against his face.

“Och, what do ye want from me?” he growled.

“I only want you to be honest with me, Jamie,” the Doctor said.

“I said I was fine.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Fine then,” Jamie snapped. “Don’ believe me. Who cares? Jes…jes leave me alone.”

Jamie clutched at his face and hunched down even more. The Doctor felt a twinge in his hearts as saw a tremor develop in Jamie’s hands and heard the way that the piper’s breathing was beginning to catch. The young Scot was losing control and it was painful to watch.

The Doctor stood up and carefully sat down next to Jamie on the bed. Then he placed his hand on Jamie’s shoulder and gently clasped it.

“Jamie, I know that something is troubling you,” he said. “I would very much like to help if I can.”

Jamie didn’t answer, but he also did not pull away, much to the Doctor’s relief. After a long moment, Jamie finally gulped and spoke again.

“Ye were dead. I saw it.”

“But I wasn’t, Jamie. I just wanted the Valuloxans to think I was so I could get away and help all of you escape.”

“Aye and ye fooled me tae. Not that ye cared how I felt aboot it.”

“Of course I cared,” the Doctor retorted. “But I had to do it in order to save you, Victoria and everyone else at that colony.”

“Och, ye dinna understand. How can ye? I….”

Jamie bowed his head even more, making sure to turn his face away.

“I really did think ye were dead,” he added, his voice barely a whisper. “It was…it was jes like….”

“Like what?”

Jamie shook his head and swallowed hard. The Doctor could see that the piper’s eyes were wet and red, and he squeezed his shoulder again.

“Jes like then…like Culloden,” Jamie whispered. “All those men…men of my clan, my friends, the last of my brothers. I saw them all cut down by those Redcoats. All of them died. One moment alive and the next…lying on the ground, blood everywhere….And then when I…when I thought that ye….”

The Doctor moved his arm around Jamie’s shoulders and held him close to him. Jamie responded by pressing his face against his shoulder. It had been almost two years since they had started traveling together, and not once in all that time had Jamie said a word to him about what happened at Culloden. The Doctor did worry about it from time to time, but did not pry out of respect for Jamie’s feelings and a desire to not dwell on the past.

However, now the Doctor regretted not taking the time to talk to him about it. It was clear that the massacre of Culloden was a deep wound on Jamie’s soul that had not healed in the slightest. But just as important as this was the obvious fact that the piper held an enormous amount of affection for him. Normally, the Doctor cherished this affection, but moments like this were a poignant reminder that it also meant that Jamie would be devastated by his loss.    

“Oh Jamie,” he murmured as he stroked Jamie’s back. “Jamie, I am truly sorry. I was so concerned with carrying out my plan, I didn’t think about how it could have affected you. That was foolish and quite callous of me.”

“It’s all right, Doctor,” Jamie said, his voice muffled and watery. “It does nae matter.”

“No it’s not all right, Jamie,” the Doctor insisted. “And it most certainly does matter. Your wellbeing means a great deal to me and I would hate for you to think otherwise.”

Jamie nodded slightly while making sure to keep his face hidden against the fabric of the Doctor’s jacket. The Doctor felt him start to tremble and he squeezed Jamie gently to reassure him. They sat that way silently for a few moments before the Doctor took a deep breath and nudged the piper to get his attention.

“Jamie, I know that you know by now that it’s not always safe to travel with me,” he said.

“That’s for sure,” Jamie said with a soft chuckle as he looked up at the Doctor.

“Thus, I’m certain that we will get into potentially hazardous situations again in the future,” the Doctor continued, ignoring him. “As a result, there may be times when our lives will be in jeopardy and I might have to resort to tactics like the ones I was forced to use on Zetinia Syln. Also, I know that you are aware that I’m not human which means that I have a physical makeup and abilities that are vastly different from yours. So there is a chance that a situation like this could come up again. Given all of that, there is one thing that I will need you to remember.”

Jamie lifted his head from the Doctor’s shoulder, his gaze quizzical. The Doctor briefly beamed at him before adopting a somber expression. He reached up to place his hands onto the young Scot’s cheeks. Then he gingerly turned Jamie’s face toward him, encouraging the piper to look him in the eye.

“Whatever happens, I will always do my best for you,” he said. “No matter what the odds...even in the face of death…I will fight for you. So you must not give up. Not ever. Even when things look their worst, even if you think that I’m no longer with you…you must trust me to keep fighting for you.”

The Doctor stroked a lock of Jamie’s hair away from his face with his thumb.

“I know that this is no small thing,” the Doctor said. “In fact, it might be one of the hardest things I could ever ask of you. So I will understand if there are times when you are overwhelmed by your feelings. I’m only asking you to try to remember what I’ve told you. Remember and believe in it.”

“I will,” Jamie said, his tone resolute and sincere. “I swear.”

“All right then,” the Doctor said, letting go of his face. “And I know that a Highlander’s word is his bond, so I am sure you will keep your promise.”

 Jamie looked away in time to brush aside a stray tear from his cheek, and the Doctor put his arm back around the piper’s shoulders.

“Jamie, about what happened before,” he said. “About Culloden….”

“No… nae right now, Doctor,” Jamie said. “Please, it’s…it’s tae much….”

“I understand,” the Doctor said, patting his back. “But we will return to this at some point, Jamie. You can be sure of that.”

“Aye, I know,” Jamie said. “And we will.”

“Good,” the Doctor repeated. “Right then, how about we find something to do while Victoria is resting. Ah yes, I know just the thing.”

“What?” Jamie asked.

“A movie,” the Doctor grinned.

“A what?”

“A movie,” the Doctor said. “Motion pictures. It’s a story that is played out on a screen.”

“Oh you mean like a play on the stage,” Jamie said.

“Yes, very much like that,” the Doctor said. “And I’ve got the perfect movie picked out: _The Adventures of Robin Hood_.”

“Robin Hood, oh aye, I heard that tale when I was a bairn,” Jamie nodded.

“I thought you might have,” the Doctor said. “But I think you’ll find that it’s an even more rousing tale when performed onscreen. You know, if I had been an actor, I would have liked to take part in a performance of that story.”

“Ye? On stage?” Jamie smirked. “Och go on….”

“I’ll have you know that Shakespeare himself said that my acting was perfectly suited for his plays,” the Doctor said haughtily.

“Ye mean this Shakespeare wrote plays about wee daft men then?” the piper chortled.

“Now Jamie…,” the Doctor frowned at him, fully intent to scold him. But the grin on Jamie’s face made it impossible, and he ended up laughing instead.

“Come on,” the Doctor said, patting his shoulder. “I’ll make us some popcorn to have with the movie.”

“What’s that?” Jamie asked.

“You’ll see,” the Doctor smiled. “And I’m sure you’ll love it.”

Jamie grinned even more, confident that he was right about that and happy that the Doctor was always finding new things for him to discover and enjoy.

The Doctor continued to smile back at him, grateful that he had gained such a close, steadfast friend and determined to prove himself deserving of this fierce loyalty.  

 

 

 


	3. The Curious Jester

It was while he was waiting for the next course of food to be brought to the table that Ben Jackson noticed the quizzical expression on Jamie McCrimmon’s face.

By this point, Jamie had been traveling with them for a few weeks and there were still occasions when the sailor found himself having to adjust to it. The idea of traveling around with someone from a time period he had only vaguely learned about during his history lessons in school had been a strange enough idea to wrap his head around. This was in spite of the fact that Ben was forced to admit that it wasn’t the weirdest thing he had encountered since he first stepped into the TARDIS by accident.

But Ben had soon discovered that it was far more problematic to deal with the little day-to-day issues that came with traveling with someone from Scotland in the 1700s. For example, this morning, Ben had wandered into the TARDIS’ kitchen and asked Jamie if he had seen the toaster.

“ _The what?”_ the Highlander had asked him.

“ _Toaster,”_ Ben replied. “ _You stick a piece of bread in it and it makes it all warm and crisp.”_

 _“Why would ye want crispy bread?”_ Jamie asked, making a face.

“ _Well ‘cos it’s an important ingredient for a good fry-up.”_

_“What’s that?”_

Not long after this, Ben had given up trying to explain and answered the rest of Jamie’s questions with his newly acquired favorite response of “go ask the Doctor about it”.

Still, despite his occasional frustration, it was impossible for Ben to let things like that bother him for too long. Jamie’s courage, adventurousness, and genial personality had grown on him, so Ben decided to join in with the Doctor’s and Polly’s continued efforts to try to make the piper feel at home in his new environment. Thus, when he noticed the confused look on Jamie’s face as he stared at some point near the head of the table, Ben decided to see what was bothering him.

“Hey, Jamie, ‘ere what’s up?” he asked him. “You look like you’ve seen a two-headed ogre or something.”

“Eh?” Jamie said, looking over at him. “Two-heads? Aye well, how long before we see something like that then?”

Ben chuckled. The TARDIS had landed on a space station a few hours previous and he, Jamie, and Polly were treated to the sight of numerous alien beings wandering around. The Doctor had assured them their races were peaceful, for the most part. However, that didn’t stop the rest of them from feeling more than a little bit edgy as they explored their surroundings. They discovered that the station’s main business was to service space vehicles with travelers stopping by and staying there for short periods of times to have any repairs or needed maintenance performed on their crafts.

Shortly, after the Doctor met with a man named Miller, who was the commander in charge of the station, everyone was invited to have dinner in the main dining hall with the rest of the staff who worked there and the visitors who were staying there while their ships were being serviced. The people at the commander’s table were all humanoid, but Ben, Polly, and Jamie had an excellent view of the alien races all around them.

“Prolly not too long to be sure,” Ben laughed again. “Seriously though, what’s got you in a tiff anyway?”

Jamie shook his head, and Ben thought that he wouldn’t get an answer until the Scot leaned closer to his ear.

“It’s the Doctor,” he muttered. “Do ye think that all these strange beasties aboot have made him go mad?”

Ben smirked and shook his head. After what he had seen during his travels in the TARDIS, he knew better than to take anything the Doctor did only at face value. Especially ever since he had regenerated into his current form.

And especially when he started to act as strangely as he had been for the last couple of hours.

* * *

 

_After the four of them had been invited to dinner, the Doctor suddenly announced that he would meet with them later and took off down one of the corridors, leaving Ben, Polly and Jamie to their own devices. Not knowing what else to do, they chose to stick together and go for a stroll._

_It was while they were checking out the various shops along one of the main corridors that they heard about the recent problems that had been plaguing the space station. Over the past week, three ships had suffered catastrophic malfunctions shortly after being serviced by the repair crews. Two of these incidents turned out to be expensive inconveniences with the owners of the station having to finance repairs that were carried out elsewhere after the ships were forced to make emergency landings. However, one set of crew and passengers lost their lives due to an error in the craft’s propulsion unit, and now there was talk of official investigations._

_Ben, Polly, and Jamie noted that there was a definite tension in the air as they talked to the people at the shops. Eventually, they were able to find a couple of especially chatty clerks, who were able to give them plenty of details about the recent events. They were also told more than one rumor about what was causing these incidents with deliberate sabotage performed by rival stations, contract killings being carried out and ghosts acting out of revenge being the leading theories._

_“This sounds serious,” Polly had said. “And now that we’re here, I guess we shouldn’t just stand by and do nothing. The Doctor should know about this.”_

_“Right,” Ben had agreed. “I’m sure he’ll come up with something. ’Sides, this is just the kind of thing that he goes for anyway.”_

_During their search for the Doctor, they caught sight of him a couple times. At one point, he was spotted standing alone in front of a wall, playing a soft, sprightly tune on his recorder. Another time they saw him throwing what looked like some kind of overripe fruit down an empty passageway, the rinds splattering all over the walls. Both times, they tried to catch up with him, but the Doctor scurried off before they could._

* * *

 

The next round of food showed up, and Ben watched and nodded gratefully at the familiar looking fare that was being served onto his plate.

When he, Jamie and Polly arrived at dinner, they finally ran into the Doctor and was able to give a brief summary of what they had heard with the Doctor only seeming to give them about half of his attention. They were about to ask the Doctor what he had been up to when Miller showed up to escort them to his table, effectively ending that line of conversation.

As they ate, Ben had noted how the Doctor eagerly asked the people at the table all sorts of questions about the station and themselves. Unfortunately, a lot of them didn’t seem to make any sense.

“ _Tell me, do you ever dream of whistling while you sleep?”_

_“Have you noticed the color red appearing more often than usual?”_

_“When you were growing up, did you ever wish your arms would turn into a pair of wings so you could fly?”_

_“Do you ever get the sense that you’re never alone, even when you are alone?”_

_“What is your favorite kind of tree?”_

 At first, Ben had been worried that the staff would think the Doctor was completely barmy and have him ejected from the table. However, the Doctor’s exuberant charm and the chance for some lightheartedness in the face of all their recent stress made it so that the other diners were willing to play along with the Doctor’s games.

“Ah dessert,” the Doctor said, clapping his hands together as another cart of food was wheeled over to their table.  “I do so love dessert. How about the rest of you? Do you have a favorite dessert? I must confess, I can never really decide.”

Jamie gave Ben another pointed look, but the sailor dismissed it with another smirk.

“Aw, don’t mind the Doctor, Jamie,” he said. “’E’s prolly just playing a fiddle with these blokes.”

“A fiddle? Oh aye, ye mean he’s up to some kind of ruse,” Jamie said, demonstrating the recent lessons Polly had given him about slang. “Do ye think it’s somethin’ to do with all those ships we heard aboot?”

“Don’t know,” Ben said. “Prolly. At any rate, I’m sure it’ll put us in the middle of a right bit of Barney before too long.”

“A Barney?” Jamie echoed.

“Trouble, mate,” Ben said. “Trouble.”

“Och, what’s new about that then?” Jamie replied with a smirk of his own. “Well, no point in worryin’ aboot it for now.”

 Seemingly satisfied, the piper began to wolf down the rest of the food in front of him with Ben soon following suit, both of them determined to enjoy themselves while they still could. They promptly finished their meals and pushed their plates aside to make room for the desserts that were being served.

Small white plates with whimsically decorated confections perched in the middle of each one were being placed in front of each diner. As everyone tried a bite of their dessert, there were smiles and sounds of appreciation. The Doctor waved the server over to ask him for a second helping with Miller doing the same thing. Jamie, Ben and Polly soon finished their desserts and were surprised to see the station manager still gulping down bites of cake, a wobbly stack of dessert plates sitting in front of him.

 A few moments later, the Doctor stood up and cleared his throat.

“I must say that this has been a splendid meal and all of you have been such wonderful hosts,” he said. “I believe that this occasion calls for a little after-dinner celebration.”

The Doctor grinned and pulled his recorder out of one of his voluminous pockets. Ben, Polly, and Jamie let out a collective sigh.

“Oh now, Doctor….” Polly began.

But before she could say another word, the Doctor put the recorder to his lips and whirled toward Miller, blowing out a series of shrill tones as he did so.

The effect was immediate. The manager cried out and clasped his hands onto his ears. Then he turned toward the Doctor, his eyes aglow with a purple light.

“You,” Miller growled, his voice unlike anything even remotely human. The Doctor nodded and stuffed his recorder back into his jacket.

“Yes, I thought it might be you,” he said calmly. “Tell me, what have you done with the man whose guise you’ve taken? Is he still on the station?”

The manager snarled and jumped up from his chair, his arms outstretched. He lunged at the Doctor.

“You!” he bellowed as he grabbed the Doctor’s throat. The Doctor tried to wriggle away, but Miller’s strength was too much for him and they both fell onto the floor. Several diners yelled and leapt back from the table as he continued to throttle the Doctor.

Less than a second later, Ben and Jamie sprung into action. They pounced onto Miller, each of them taking hold of one of his arms so they could drag him away. But the commander continued to hold on with an iron grip.

“Ben,” the Doctor gasped out. “Ben, the cakes…smash one…against his face….”

For the briefest second, Ben wondered what good that would do, but the fighting instincts he had honed while traveling with the Doctor did not let him pause any longer than that. He dashed over to the dessert tray and grabbed a pair of plates. Then he mashed them against the sides of Miller’s face. Miller sneezed and abruptly stopped moving.

This turned out to be the opening Ben and Jamie needed with Jamie delivering a hard right hook to Miller’s jaw and Ben following up with a swift blow to the stomach. Miller wheezed and finally let go of the Doctor as he collapsed face first onto the ground.

Meanwhile, Polly jumped up from her chair and ran over to crouch down beside the Doctor, who was still prone on the floor.

“Doctor?” she said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Doctor, are you all right?”

The Doctor nodded and coughed several times as he slowly sat up. Jamie immediately rushed over and crouched down to wrap an arm around the Doctor’s shoulders to help him to his feet.

“I’m fine, Jamie,” the Doctor said, brushing him away. “He just took me by surprise is all.”

Ben helped a couple of the other staff members restrain Miller before going over to join the rest of them.

“Hey Doctor, wha’ happened?” he asked. “Is he…?”

“An alien? Yes, yes he is, Ben,” the Doctor replied, his voice still hoarse. “And I believe you’ll find that he’s responsible for everything that has been going wrong here.”

* * *

 

A few minutes later, the Doctor, Ben, Polly, and Jamie were in a lounge, waiting for the head security officer and a woman named Steerison, who was second-in-command at the station, to finish with their prisoner. The Doctor was sitting on a couch, massaging his throat while Jamie sat next to him with a worried look on his face.

“Doctor?” the Scot said, anxious.

“It’s all right, Jamie,” the Doctor assured him. “Just a bit sore is all. Now don’t fuss me.”

“What was that thing, Doctor?” Ben asked.

“Yes, and why was he pretending to be the station manager?” Polly chimed in. “You said that he was the cause of all the things that have been happening here.”

“And I meant it,” the Doctor said. “That man was not a human being at all. It was just a disguise.”

“A disguise?” Polly repeated.

“Yes, for a Miliverian,” the Doctor nodded. “A thoroughly incorrigible and irresponsible race, I’m afraid.”

“Eh? What are they on aboot then?” Jamie asked. “Some kind of grudge against the people at the station?”

“Oh I doubt that very much,” the Doctor said. “No, Miliverians are a sort of mischievous imp who can change their appearance.”

“Right, I get it now,” Ben said. “It’s like a gremlin.”

“A what?” Polly asked.

“It’s a story from World War II, Duchess,” Ben explained. “Gremlins were these little monsters who’d go in an’ bust up all the soldiers’ equipment and things.”

“Ah, ye mean they’re like a _bodach_ ,” Jamie said. “A shape shifter.”

“Yes, in a way you’re both right,” the Doctor said. “And much like the creatures from those stories, Miliverians are notorious troublemakers. It’s rare for them to leave their home planet, but the few that do have repeatedly wreaked havoc all throughout this part of the galaxy.”

“But why do they do things like this?” Polly asked.

“Usually it’s for no particular reason,” the Doctor said with a shrug. “That’s what makes them so annoying. I remember the last time I ran into them back when I first started my travels. Nasty things. One of them got into my TARDIS and caused all kinds of trouble. It took me weeks to get her back to perfect working order.”

“Blimey, you call that perfect working order?” Ben chuckled. “I’d ‘ate to see what you’d call a major malfunction then.”

“All right, Ben,” the Doctor frowned. “I think that was a little uncalled for.”

“So this creature, this Miliverian,” Polly continued. “He took the place of the station manager and caused all those ships to break down.”

“Exactly,” the Doctor grinned at her. “I suspected that something was wrong when I heard about the incidents that had been happening at the station recently from some of the staff. I talked to a couple of the shopkeepers here and when they mentioned that they had had a problem with someone stealing their wares, specifically sugary foods, I had a feeling that a Miliverian might be behind this. The Miliverians are quite fond of sweets, you see…and are also very sensitive to certain sound frequencies.”

“So that’s what you were up to at dinner,” Ben said, snapping his fingers. “And all those other times you were larking about the station.”

“What do ye mean?” Jamie frowned. “Far as I could tell he was just being as daft as that beastie.”

“Aw, use your loaf, mate,” Ben said.

“My loaf?” Jamie echoed. “Ye’re nae goin’ to start on that whole toast thing again, are ye?”

“No,” Ben huffed. “You know, loaf…bread…head. Don’t you see? ‘E was trying to draw the creature out by going on about desserts and tossing those fruits around. And all that stuff with the recorder was to see if he could make a sound that’d drive ‘im crazy.”

“Ah, so that’s why ye kept askin’ all those strange questions at dinner tae,” Jamie said, nodding in understanding. “Ye were tryin’ to figure out which one of them was the beastie.”

“Nice bit of detective work, don’t you think?” the Doctor said, his grin growing.  

“Yes,” Polly said. “It all makes sense now.”

“Except that bit at the end,” Ben said. “With the cake to the face.”

“Oh that’s easy enough,” the Doctor said. “While the Miliverians do love their sweets, too much exposure leads to an allergic response. I had a feeling he would be vulnerable after eating so many confections. That’s why shoving that cake in his face worked so well to help subdue him. You see, it’s all very simple.”

Suddenly, the door opened and the security chief, a sallow man called Pickerson, stepped in.

“Well, you were right, Doctor,” Pickerson said. “It seems that this Miliverian snuck onto the station about a week and a half ago from a cargo ship that had dropped off a shipment of supplies for the shops. Poor old Miller just happened to be the first person he was able to lure away into an isolated part of the station. Fortunately, we found him tucked away in an old storage hatch, not too worse for wear.”

“I figured that he wouldn’t have harmed Miller,” the Doctor said.

“Yes, but how could you be so certain of that?” the security chief asked. “After all, he did kill all those people on that one passenger ship.”

“True, but I imagine that was purely by accident,” the Doctor replied. “Miliverians, while irritating and irascible very rarely have any trace of murderous intent. He probably didn’t realize just how severely he had sabotaged that ship.”

“I suppose that’s possible,” Pickerson said. “Still, he did act very aggressively toward you.”

“Well that was because I was purposely trying to disturb him,” the Doctor said. “Miliverians are very good at maintaining their disguises while they remain calm, even down to mimicking a person’s voice and mannerisms. But they rapidly lose their skills at mimicry when they are agitated. Only their ability to alter their appearance to look like another person tends to remain. You could say that they become a one-trick phony.”

 “Doctor,” Polly said with a groan as she rolled her eyes. “How could you?”

“You said it, Duchess,” Ben said. “Cor, I think that’s worst pun I’ve heard yet.”

“Oh I am sorry,” the Doctor said, his smile not abating in the slightest. “At any rate, you now have your man and that should be the end of the problems you’ve been having at the station.”

“Well there is that official inquiry that we will have to get through,” the security chief mused. “But that shouldn’t be too much of a problem now that we actually have someone in custody. Still, I imagine that it would probably go even smoother if you were present at the inquiry to answer any additional questions the investigator might have.”

“Oh no,” the Doctor said, his face crumpling into a frown.

“Don’t worry, it shouldn’t take too long,” Pickerson assured him. “These things never take more than a week or so.”

“A week?” Ben repeated.

“I know, barely any time at all,” Pickerson said with a nod. “Now, I’m sure that Steerison will want your input for our report. And, of course, the both of us will want to go over what we plan to tell the investigator during the formal questioning sessions.”

“Ah, Mister Pickerson,” the Doctor said. “I don’t know if you really need us to….”

“And then there is the matter of the mess you made in that service corridor,” the security chief continued. “Those Lulomon fruit you threw left stains all over the floors and wall. It’s going to take a lot of hard scrubbing to get that out, and that’s the stains haven’t completely set in. But with you and your friends all working at it, you just might be able to clean it up. Consider it repayment for our hospitality.”

   “What?!” the Doctor spluttered. “But…but…I only did that to help unveil the Miliverian that was hiding among you. Fully ripe Lulomon fruit has a very high sugar content and scattering a bunch of it about like that was the best way to stimulate his natural cravings. It was all part of my plan to have him thoroughly disoriented by the time everyone showed up for dinner.”

“Nevertheless, it was an act of vandalism, Doctor,” Pickerson responded. “And while we appreciate your help in finding the saboteur, you can’t really expect us to forget about the damage you caused, can you?” 

Pickerson was so engrossed in what he was saying; he did not notice how everyone else’s faces had fallen or the furtive looks they gave to each other. He walked over to the door and paused to look back at the group.

“Just wait here, Doctor,” he said. “Steerison will want to have a talk with you and then we can get you and your companions settled into some quarters for your stay here. Then we can set up a schedule for you to begin cleaning.”

Pickerson exited into the hallway, and the Doctor immediately rose from the couch so he could listen at the door. A few moments later, he waved at his friends.

“I think it’s time for us to leave,” he said.

“I’ll say,” Polly huffed. “How do you like that? We help them find their saboteur and instead of gratitude we get janitorial duties.”

“You got that right,” Ben nodded. “And I’m not exactly up for a bunch of meetings with bureaucrats asking the same questions over and over either.”

“Aye, I’ve had enough of this place,” Jamie nodded. “Let’s go.”

* * *

 

The four of them carefully snuck out of the lounge and crept along the corridors silently for several minutes before finally making it back to the TARDIS. A key turn and a quick shuffling in through the doors later, they were off.

As they dematerialized, the Doctor studied the console in front of him while Ben and Jamie headed toward their rooms to freshen up and change. Once they were gone, Polly strolled over toward him.

“Doctor?”

“Hmmm?” the Doctor replied, staring at the central column. “What is it, Polly?”

“I was just wondering,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. “When are you going to give up this charade?”

“Charade?” the Doctor said. “Whatever do you mean by that?”

“You know what I mean,” she said. “What you told Ben and Jamie and all the others about having to do all those strange things and asking those odd questions…you knew from the beginning what was going on and who was behind it, didn’t you?”

“Did I?” the Doctor said, turning to her with a hint of a smile on his lips.

“Of course you did,” she said. “You may have fooled the rest of them, but you aren’t fooling me. What I want to know is why you acted like you didn’t have a clue.”

“Well, let’s suppose for a moment that it’s as you say,” the Doctor said. “Let’s say that I detected a Miliverian presence at the station early on. Given how much of a trickster we were dealing with, what do you think would have been the best way to deal with him? A direct confrontation? Or maybe….?”

“Or maybe playing a trick or two of your own,” Polly replied. “Acting silly and yet still finding ways to draw him out so you’d be able to catch him.”

“Now that does sound like a rather ingenious plan,” the Doctor beamed at her. “Don’t you agree?”

“Yes Doctor,” Polly laughed. “But still, I can’t help but feel like there something else you’re not telling me. Some other reason behind your little plot.”

The Doctor chuckled and looked as if he was about to say something else when Jamie reentered the room. Polly walked toward the doorway that led into the main corridors.

“Doctor,” Jamie said as he moved to stand beside him. “Where are we goin’ now?”

“Haven’t decided that yet,” the Doctor answered. “Somewhere a little quieter I should like to think.”

“Och, as if ye’re the one that decides that anyway,” Jamie scoffed.

The Doctor frowned as he turned his attention back to the instruments in front of him. The young Scot fell silent for a moment before starting to laugh.

“You seem rather amused, Jamie,” the Doctor said, the grin returning to his face. Jamie laughed again and shook his head.

“I jes keep thinking aboot that _bodach_ back at that station,” the piper said. “He prolly thought that he was smart, but I don’ think he could’ve imagined that he’d be running into a chap as clever and daft as ye.”

“Daft? Pah!” the Doctor groused. “That Miliverian fell right into my trap. Serves him right considering how much he was just like that other fellow who got into my TARDIS.”

“Oh aye, aye, I’m sure it was a brilliant plan and all,” Jamie nodded. “But ye were having some fun with him tae. Don’ try to deny it.”

The Doctor huffed indignantly more than once while Jamie continued to snicker.

Meanwhile, Polly watched this exchange with a smile of her own and was about to leave when she suddenly realized just how meaningful the Doctor’s comment about Jamie’s current lighthearted mood truly was.

‘ _Yes, I think that’s the cheeriest I’ve seen him since he joined us in the TARDIS,’_ she pondered. _‘I suppose it’s not so surprising given what he’s been through recently.’_

Polly tilted her head slightly as she watched the Doctor and Jamie banter back and forth. Even though she vividly remembered the unfortunate circumstances that led her, Ben and the Doctor to meet Jamie, it now occurred to her that she hadn’t really thought much about how hard and unhappy the young piper’s life had probably been for a while before they came along.

 _‘He was in the middle of a violent rebellion, fighting so many battles. He probably lost most, if not all, of his family and friends,’_ she mused. ‘ _What reason did he have to smile at all? And here we whisk him away from his home and put him in all sorts of dangerous situations. I guess we should all be grateful that the Doctor is giving him something to laugh about.’_

Seconds later, Polly’s smile grew as these thoughts continued to sink in. She glanced back over at the Doctor and Jamie and she realized that she may have just stumbled onto that other hidden reason that she was seeking to explain the Doctor’s behavior.

‘ _Jamie is right,’_ she laughed inwardly. ‘ _He really is that clever…and he doesn’t miss a thing.’_

Polly gave the Doctor one last knowing nod that she was sure he caught before walking out of the room to look for Ben.

 


	4. The Brooding Crusader

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place between The Wheel in Space and The Dominators.

‘ _When does the choice between one life and the lives of many stop being a choice?’_

The Doctor let out a long sigh that quickly turned into a giant yawn. He had just finished projecting a series of mental images as a way to show the newest addition to the TARDIS crew, Zoe Heriot, what she could expect now that she was traveling with him. He could tell that Zoe had been surprised and startled by what she had seen, but she had also remained resolute in her decision.

“ _This is precisely why I want to travel with you. The Cybermen on the Wheel and these Daleks that you just showed me…the threat that species like these hold for the Earth is one of the reasons why I need to learn to think beyond my training and to adapt to new situations where the answers are not planned for in advance.”_

The Doctor smiled and rubbed his eyes. He had been impressed with Zoe when he met her on the Wheel and now he was convinced that he was right in choosing to let her stay. Although, her logical, analytical mode of thinking was a stark contrast to Jamie’s heartfelt, intuitive style, the Doctor could already sense that they were very similar in their eagerness to explore, to learn and to help others to stand up against those who sought to stamp out life merely to fulfill their own petty desires.

“ _There are some corners of the universe which have bred the most terrible things…things which act against everything that we believe in.”_

_“They must be fought.”_

The Doctor’s smile fell away. When he left Gallifrey all those years ago, he had had no ambitions to take up arms against the evils of the universe. He had just wanted to travel, to experience something beyond the staid, stifling confines of Time Lord society. To this day, he wasn’t entirely sure when he had transitioned from an errant, but detached explorer to a dedicated protector, but he was pretty sure that, whatever the process involved, it had accelerated once he started bringing humans along to travel with him in the TARDIS. This desire to help others whenever he could seemed to grow even stronger after he regenerated. Thus, when he spoke those words in front of Polly and Ben on the moon station, they had rolled off his tongue with the ease that came from yielding to his newly refined nature.

Still, this awareness had not come without a price. The Doctor had long since been aware that every revelation begat a responsibility and that every decision bore a consequence. But it did not occur to him that these consequences could extend beyond his own sphere of existence, a reality he had not truly grasped until he witnessed the deaths of Katarina and Sara Kingdom.

The Doctor’s eyelids drooped as he yawned again. The lengthy battle he had endured with the Daleks in his last incarnation had taken an unexpected toll. True, had grown accustomed to danger in his travels, but he readily accepted the idea that this danger was the price he had chosen to pay. He had not realized, however, how much it would pain him to lose two of his companions in such a tragic, permanent way.

‘ _Humans. So fragile with such short lives. And yet for some reason they keep throwing those lives away for my sake. Or perhaps I’m being self-centered. Maybe it has nothing to do with me. It’s about whatever cause I happened to be involved with at that moment. Oh crumbs, I don’t know….’_

_‘But…was that always the only way? Is it possible that I simply didn’t see or even try to see another way that did not involve such sacrifice? Was it really down to a choice between one or two lives and the lives of many?’_

The Doctor frowned as his mind went back to his original question: the problem of weighing any one life against that of others. When it came to threats like the Daleks or the Cybermen, his conscience was clear. They were not beings who could be reasoned with. They would continue to bring needless death and destruction to every new world they visited if no one intervened. He had to help whenever and wherever he could.

But did this entitle him to hold other people’s lives in his hands? And if he believed that it did, was he so different from the evils he was seeking to destroy? Was this the inevitable consequence of possessing the power to be able to act these horrors?

Could he end up becoming the very thing he was fighting against?

The Doctor reached up and rubbed his temples. He was mostly over the concussion he had suffered on the rocket the Cybermen were using to infiltrate the Wheel, but exhaustion was making him vulnerable to a nagging headache. Thoughts about trying to find a way to alleviate his physical discomfort made him think of Doctor Gemma Corwyn.

Another sigh escaped his lips as the Doctor’s eyes dulled slightly. He had liked Gemma. She was intelligent and observant along with compassionate and brave. People like her were the type who he always looked forward to meeting in his travels and who were responsible for his continued affection for humans. The Doctor knew that she had had no real reason to listen to him. However, Gemma had listened, and the Doctor was fairly certain that things would have turned out far worse than they did if it hadn’t been for her assistance.

 ‘ _Assistance that came at the cost of her life as well,’_ the Doctor thought sorrowfully. ‘ _True, she was just as dedicated as the rest of them to protecting the Wheel and its crew. She would have she would have tried to do something even without any suggestions from me.’_

_‘That doesn’t change the fact that she’s gone partially because she went along with one of my plans.’_

The Doctor placed a hand onto the console to steady himself. His plans often had to be created and revised at the spur of the moment, but thankfully they worked most of the time. Still, these same plans almost always included an element of risk. Often, the allies he had gained were put in harm’s way, but more and more, it was his companions who had to bear the brunt of that risk along with him.

‘ _Like what Jamie and Zoe did this last time…walking out into space with those meteorites heading for them. Rassilon knows how they were able to survive that barrage.’_

_“It was a calculated risk that had to be taken.”_

The Doctor recalled his response to Leo’s accusation that he had purposely and remorselessly sent Jamie and Zoe to their deaths. It had been said with frustration and in an attempt to deflect Leo’s attention back toward the greater issue at hand: the Cybermen’s plan to poison the Wheel’s air supply.

The truth was, however, that he had been quite deliberate and more than a little bit callous in persuading Jamie to go back to the rocket for the Time Vector Generator. The Doctor had no doubts that it was essential to defeat the Cybermen. He was also aware that the only way he could bring himself to convince Jamie to go on such a perilous errand was harden his heart to some extent. And Jamie, being Jamie, grumbled and put up a show of annoyance but still went along with his plan. No, the fact that he had been willing to gamble with Jamie’s life that way was not what disturbed him the most.

What disturbed him was the fact that it had not been as hard for him to do as it should have been.

It was then that the Doctor pondered just how much he kept pushing his companions into dangerous situations. Partially because he needed them to carry the plans he had concocted to deal with the threats they encountered, but ultimately because his curiosity and his sense of justice always got the better of him. Most of the time, his companions appeared to agree with the causes he got behind. Recently though, the Doctor had finally come to the uncomfortable reality that he usually did not give them much choice in the matter.

‘ _Would they have always chosen to get involved if I had given them another option?’_ he wondered. ‘ _And if any of them had ever chosen differently than I had…what then? What would I have done?’_

The Doctor shuddered. He knew that there was a good chance that he wouldn’t have survived all the battles that he had if he had had to fight alone. However, that practical thought was not enough to quell the disgust he felt at the prospect of running away from any of those battles.

‘ _No, no, no! I can’t allow all those lives to be snuffed out. I can’t stand by and do nothing. That’s what all the rest of them did: nothing. All the power we possess as Time Lords and we stand by and just watch these atrocities happen.’_

_‘I can’t…I can’t let it happen…any more….’_

The Doctor clutched at his head, his eyelids fluttering uncontrollably. He felt himself start to fall forward onto the console.

“Doctor!”

Suddenly, the Doctor felt a strong arm catch him before he could make contact. He looked over to see a pair of deeply concerned hazel eyes watching him.

“Jamie...” he mumbled, rubbing his eyes again as he tried to regain his composure.

“Doctor? Are ye all right?”

“Yes, I’m fine, Jamie,” he said. “Just tired is all. Thought projection is no easy thing to do, especially for prolonged periods of time. And I suppose I’m still recovering from that blow to the head from earlier.”

The Doctor swatted at Jamie’s hands and was about to insist that he stop fussing over him. But before he could say a word; the piper began to guide him out of the console room.

“Ye need to rest,” Jamie said. “Doctor Corwyn said that it was nae good for ye to be up and aboot like this.”

As soon as the words left his lips, the Scot immediately ducked his head, shamefaced.

“Sorry,” he mumbled. “I dinna mean to….Well anyway, she was right. Ye need to take it easy.”

“All right, all right,” the Doctor snapped. “We will go to the study.”

Jamie nodded and continued to stay close to the Doctor’s side as he escorted him down the hall into the study nearby. Once they were there, the Doctor plopped down onto the couch with a huff while Jamie sat down closer to the fireplace. The TARDIS lit up the fireplace, and the Doctor settled back into the upholstery with a sigh.

“Jamie, where’s Zoe gone to?”

“Still in the library, I think,” the piper said with a shrug. “She said something aboot finding some books so she could learn more about the TARDIS.”

“Well, she won’t have any luck there,” the Doctor said ruefully. “The manual for this TARDIS is in the workshop.”

“Workshop?” Jamie echoed. “Oh, ye mean ye’re gettin’ ready to fix the TARDIS so it’ll stop goin’ wrong?”

“Wrong? What a nerve,” the Doctor snorted. “I’ll have you know that I don’t need that infernal thing. Page after page of dry theory with no practical insight or real experience. Pah! Useless.”

“So why do ye keep it in the workshop if it’s so useless?” Jamie asked.

“I’ve got to keep that vent near the work bench propped open somehow,” the Doctor scowled.

Jamie chuckled and shook his head as he got up from in front of the fireplace. The Doctor, surprised by this, started to get up too, but Jamie held up a hand to stop him. Then he snatched up a throw pillow and blanket and sat them beside the Doctor on the couch.

“Here,” the Scot said. “I can get ye somethin’ else if it would make ye more comfortable.”

“No, this will do just fine,” the Doctor said as he shoved the pillow behind him and pulled the blanket closer. “Thank you.”

“Ye’re welcome,” Jamie nodded. “I’ll jes leave ye alone so ye can….”

 Jamie started to walk away, but just then the Doctor felt a twinge in his hearts. He was aware that he had been somewhat difficult to be around ever since they had left Victoria behind with the Harrises. While Jamie had taken it hard as well, it had not escaped the Doctor’s notice that the piper had tried his best to swallow down his own feelings of loss and be his usual solicitous self toward him for the most part.

 That awareness coupled with the realization of how close Jamie had come to losing his life in that meteor shower brought the regrets that had been building deep inside him up to the surface.  His hand shot out and grabbed Jamie’s wrist.

“No Jamie,” he said. “I, I’d rather you stay here for now.”

Jamie blinked in surprise, but said nothing as he sat down on the floor beside the couch. The two of them stared at the fire silently for several moments before the Doctor spoke again.

“Jamie,” he murmured. “I am sorry.” The piper swiveled his head toward him.

“What aboot?”

“I know that Victoria meant a great deal to you,” the Doctor continued. “I should have…. If you had wanted to stay with her….”

“No,” Jamie said, turning back toward the fire. “Ye were right, Doctor. All this travelin’ around, running into all those beasties; that was no sort of life for her. I wish it were nae that way, but that’s what it is. That place might have been nice and all, but…. Och, I could nae stay there any more than Victoria could stay here. I don’ belong there. And I don’ want to either.”

The Doctor felt his throat tighten. He knew that it had taken a lot for Jamie to say that and the implication behind those last few words had not gone unnoticed. He reached down and patted Jamie’s shoulder, the piper leaning into the touch.

“Doctor, do ye think we’ll run into the Cybermen again?” Jamie asked. “Or those Daleks?”

“I don’t know, Jamie,” the Doctor said quietly. “I certainly hope not.” He paused and massaged his forehead.

“Jamie.”

“Hmmm?”

“You know that I can’t give you any guarantees, don’t you?” the Doctor said. “After all, time is relative and we drift about in its tides. There is always a chance we could run into any number of enemies we’ve faced before. Cybermen, Daleks, Ice Warriors…there’s always a chance that we will have to fight them again.”

“I guessed as much,” Jamie nodded. “Well, no use worryin’ aboot it.”

“There’s also a chance that the stakes could get even higher,” the Doctor continued. “More people could be at risk. Entire planets. Entire galaxies.”

“Aye, that makes sense. What’s the point of fighting when there’s nothing of worth behind it?”

“It also means that I might have to make decisions,” the Doctor added. “Terrible decisions that could cost lives as well as save them. The line between right and wrong may not always be so clear. It… might become difficult to know which side you should be on.”

The Doctor put a hand to his face and closed his eyes. He could feel something dark and cold starting to stir his hearts, and in that moment of fragility, he wasn’t entire sure if he would always be able to control it. He let his fingers slide down his features. He cracked open heavy eyelids to see Jamie meeting his gaze, his eyes shining with an equal measure of steel and sincerity.

“I already know where I should be,” the piper said.  “And I always will.”

“Jamie….”

“No Doctor,” Jamie interrupted. “Battles and wars, they’re nae always so easy. No cause will e’er make them simple. I know that now. I learned it from ye. That don’ mean we can run from them though, even if we’ll sometimes end up walking close to a shadow path. But I’m nae afraid to go there ‘cause I know ye. Ye have no appetite for battle, nor do ye get any pleasure from blood that’s been spilled. When ye fight, it’s ne’er all aboot ye. That’s how I know to be on yer side. And that will ne’er change.”

The Doctor stared back at him, mute with astonishment. He had long since learned to never doubt Jamie’s loyalty, and yet he was still stunned by the depth of the young Scot’s belief in him. He was rarely at a loss for words, but for some reason he couldn’t think of a single adequate response.

Suddenly, Jamie’s face broke into a grin.

“Now, ye daft man, ye should get some sleep,” the piper chuckled again. “I’ve got enough on my hands already what wit’ Zoe to think aboot now. Having to worry aboot you even more than usual on top of all that is the last thing I need.”

“You know, Jamie, I did manage to take care of myself for centuries before you came along,” the Doctor replied, another frown forming on his lips.

“Right, and I can imagine what kind of disaster that was,” Jamie smirked. Then his face softened into a more thoughtful expression.

“Jes rest,” he said quietly. “And I’ll stay with ye.”

Jamie sat` down and turned back toward the fire place. The Doctor laid his head down onto the pillow and yanked the blanket up to his shoulders.

As he drifted toward unconsciousness, the Doctor heard the faint sound of Jamie slouching against the couch while trying to stifle a yawn. He smiled as he thought about how the Scot would probably fall asleep in an hour or two at the most. That smile grew as feelings of warmth and comfort spread throughout his being. He felt a blissful, heady sort of gratitude that he wasn’t alone and would never feel that way while Jamie was traveling with him.

In that moment, the Doctor realized that his companions did far more than just assist him in his plans and keep him company. They were the anchor his hearts needed to stave off the darkness. As long as he could keep them close and invite them to hold fast to him, he could continue to fight and still be the Doctor.  It wasn’t a perfect answer to all of the questions he had been pondering, but it was an answer he had sorely needed anyway.

The Doctor curled up onto his side and let his hand fall onto Jamie’s shoulder before finally succumbing to slumber.

 

        

   

 

       

 


End file.
